The Gender and Policy Specialization will guide students in developing their understanding of the historic and present role of women in politics, policy, and the labor market. Students will gain knowledge of gender differences in outcomes and their sources, will learn how challenges differ around the world and over the life course, and will be exposed to policy solutions as well as policy failures.

Students who complete this specialization will be able to:

• Understand how present gender differences are shaped by historical norms and beliefs. 
• Articulate and identify both the limits of public policy and the potential of policy to affect gender differences in the workplace and beyond.
• Digest academic work on the impact of policy and discern whether interventions were effective or not, as well as hypothesize on potential unstudied consequences.

Application Process

Harris students please indicate your intent to pursue this specialization using the Harris Specialization Application Form.

For specialization registration questions, please reach out to harrisregistration@uchicago.edu.

Planning for the Specialization

For information on which quarter(s) each course will be offered, see the Harris Courses page and filter by specialization. For courses offered by other divisions, the typical quarter(s) offered has been indicated.

Specialization Requirements

Students will be free to choose four courses from the list below to complete the specialization. Students may replace up to two of these four courses with an unlisted elective of their choice from the GNSE department, with the approval of the faculty director of the specialization. Students must achieve at least a B- grade in each course, and there is no pass/fail option. The courses do not need to be taken in a particular order. Students should complete the formal signup process to indicate their intention to pursue the specialization.

• PPHA 30300 Philosophical Foundations of Public Policy
• PPHA 35240 Education, Inequality, and Economic Development
• PPHA 41720 Discrimination in the Labor Market
• PPHA 41740 Gender and Policy
• PPHA 47400 Women, Development, and Politics
• PBPL 20115 / PPHA 47420 Women, Peace, and Security
• PPHA 6000 Policy Lab (gender-based labs, with the approval of specialization director)
• GNSE 20117 Feminist Theory and Political Economy
• Not offered in 2023-2024
  • PPHA 46610 Workplace and Family Policy

Specialization Contact

Yana Gallen, Specialization Director